Change-holding unit



Sept. 1, 1931. L. H. LARSEN ET AL I CHANGE HOLDING UNIT Filed June 21, 1928 Patented Sept. 1, 1931 warren sra'rss PATENT OFFICE LOUIS I-I. LARSEN, OF UNION CITY, NEW JERSEY, AND CLIFTON W. NIXON, OF NEW YORK,

CHANGE -HOLDIN G UNIT Application filed Tune 21,

This invention relates to change-holding units particularly applicable for use in connection with coin-controlled machines, for instance vending machines, change-making machines, combined vending and changemaking machines and similar apparatus, wherefrom goods, change, or both goods and change, are delivered to customers in eX- change for deposited coins of presx-ribed denominations, and wherein it is necessary or desirable to provide quick detach:- ble unitary structures capable of holding a supply of dilferent denominations of coins to be dispensed to customers in accorcaire with'the change making plan or principle of the particular machine.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a simplified, economically produced structure of the type referred to and in a manner ashereinafter set forth, comprising a plurality of skeleton wells, open from the bottom to the top so that the coins therein may be readily visualized and calculated, and so arranged that the coins within each well may, as a column, be readily removed by the fingers.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a change-holding unit of the type referred to which is capable of being inexpensively manufactured as a one-piece structure bythe art of die-casting, which can be readily attached to and as readily detached from a suitable supporting plate, and which will be strong and durable in use, as well as providing a unitary structure capable of being produced with wells differing in capacity and capable also of being produced so as to receive means whereby to vary the number of coins to be ejected at one operation.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the details of constructionand in the arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of a complete change-holding unit made in ac- 1923. Serial No. 287,296.

cordance with one form of the invention this viewalso illustrating the adaption with the unit of suitable ejectors, fractionally shown; I

Fig. 2 represents in part a front elevationand in part a vertical section of the unitillustrated in Fig. 1, this View being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 represents a top plan view of a slightly modified form, in which the two central Wells are produced to hold coins of di ii'erent denominations Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the employment of an insert in connection with a penny well; and

Fig. 5 is a detailed plan view of the insert.

The preferred form of construction as illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings comprises an elongated base 10 and a row of wells adapted to maintain columns ofcoins upon the base, the wells extending upwardly from the base at a distance back from the front edge 11 thereof. In the present exemplification, there is a well 12 for maintaining a column of twenty-five cent coins, two wells 13 and 14: adapted each to maintain columns of five-cent coins and a well 15 for maintaining a column of penny coins. These wells are arranged in adjoining relation and are characterized by the fact that they are two part wells, each being composed of two upright complementary well sections 16 and 17 which are separated throughout their length by a front gap or channel 18 and a rear gap or channel 19 alined therewlth. Thesegaps or channels permit observatlon of the interiors of the wells so that an observer may readily note whether the wells conta n any coins and so that where they contain coins, he may readily calculate the number thereof by a mere glance, by counting, or through the application of an appropriate gage or instrument. The provlslon of the alined gaps. or channels 18 and 19 perm ts a coin or a column of coins to be readily withdrawnfrom a well. a person may insert his thumb and forefinger through the opposing gaps, seize the, coin or the lowermost coin in the column, as the Case may be, and then slide his thumb and forefinger upwardly through the open gaps until withdrawal is effected through the open top of the well.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, all of the complementary well sections 16 and 17 are of concavo convex formation and each well section 17 is joined convex curve to convex curve with a well section 16 except as to section 17 for the penny well at one end of the structure and to the section 16 for the twenty-five cent well at the opposite end of the structure. Another feature of construction to be noted in the drawings is that all of the well sections slightly and continuously increase in thickness from their open top ends to the base 10 such increase accruin on all surfaces as at 20 on the convex surface, at 21 on the concave surfaces and at the edges 22 which define the gaps or channels. Because of the slight accretion on the concave surfaces of the section, the interior diameters of the we ls where the lowermost coins rest upon the base 1() are slightly less than the interior diameters at the top ends of the wells. /Vith this construction, the change-holding unit is adapted to be produced by the art of die-casting.

The complementary sections 16 and 17, where they join the baselO, are cut away into the material of their bodies from the front gap 18 so. as to provide an opening 23 through which the lowermost coin may be ejected from the well. Similarly, at the rear gap 19, the complementary sections are cut away to provide an opening 2% suitable for receiving an ejector device 25 by which the lowermost coin is discharged through the delivery opening 23. The delivery openings 23 may, where desired, be of a height sufficient to permit two or more coins to be ejected atone operation by an ejector 25, in which case the ejector receiving opening 24 must have sufficient dimension to accommodate an ejector capable of effecting the discharge of the required number of coins. In 'Fig. 4, the penny well 15 is shown as provided, by way of example, with a delivery opening 26 of a height adapted to allow two coins to be discharged theret-hrough at one time.

We have hereinbefore intimated that the row of wells extends upwardly from the base a distance back from the front edge 11 thereof. This has for its object the provision on the base, in front of each delivery opening, of a fist coin vslideway 27 followed by .a downwardly inclined coin slideway 528 bordering on the front edge 11. The top surface of the flat slideway 27 represents a horizontally even continuation of the top surface of the bottoms of the wells so that the coins during ejection cannot tip downwardly too soon and interfere with the proper operation of the ejectors, or bind against the next lowermost coins or against the top defining edges of the openings 23. The downwardly inclined slideway directs the ejected coin from the base. At the front of the unit structure, suitable strengthening webs 29 connect the well sections with the base, these webs extending downwardly from the con-vex curves of the sections and slanting forwardly therefrom so as to extend to the front edge 11 of the base. These webs also serve as partitions for divids ing the slideways 27 and 28 into individual sections for the wells, so that the coins issuing from each well will have a delivery pathway segregated from the pathways from the other wells. The well sections 17 and 16, which come at the opposite ends of the unit structure,'being parts of the penny well and twenty-five cent Well, respectively, are further connected with the base by suitably in? clined strengthening webs 31.

The five cent well designated as 14 is shown as provided at the bottom thereof with opposin slidewayv led es 32 which extend out through the delivery opening 23 and to the downwardly inclined slideway 28. These way vnl ig the base with a recess '33 adapted to accommodate the working of a .coin ejector which has greater thickness than the thick ness of the coin to :be ejected thereby. By this arrangement, the .coin rests Within the well upon the ledges 32 and is discharged by an ejector working in the recess ,33 and having a thickness sufiicient to engage the rim of the coin-to be ejected thereby. The ledges 32 are shown in connection with the well 14 by way of example and they may be employed if desired in connection with any of the wells. The penny well 15 may, if desired and as herein shown, have a height considerably greater than the height of the other of the wells, since it may be necessary to provide for change making purposes supply of pennies considerably in excess of the supply of other denominations of coins. In connection with this penny well 1 5, we have shown by way of exam-ale adeliver-y opening 26 (see Fig. of a "height adapted to permit the ejection of two pennies at one time; and in order to make provision for permitting the ejection of either two pennies or one penny, accordingly as desired, we have shown by way of example within the penny well 15 two ledges 34 produced by providing within the base a suitable recess 35. WV-here it is desired to eject only one penny at disposed within the recess 35 (see Fig. 4) an insert 36 having upwardly offset flanges 37 adapted to rest upon the ledges 34 and ha ing a thickness equal to the thickness of one penny. hen this insert is applied, the delivery opening 26 is reduced by one half in respect of its height and the column of coins rests upon the flanges 37 of the insert so that only one coin can be discharged through the upper unobstructed half of the .deliveryopenledges may be produced by proa time, .there is ing 26. l/Vhen, however, the insert 36 is removed the column of coins rests upon the ledges 34, and since in this case the lower half of the opening 26 is not obstructed, two pennies can be discharged at one time. The insert may be made secure by means of a suitable screw 38 passed through a central opening 39 in the insert and threaded into an opening 40 provided in the base.

In the present exemplification, the base 10 is shown as curved longitudinally in agreement with the curve of a supporting ring structure 41 fractionally shown in broken outline in Fig. 1, said ring structure in practice being arranged for rotation about the ejectors 25 and carrying thereon a circular series of coin-changing units to be individually brought, as change is to be ejected there from, into delivery position before said ejectors 25. Also, in the present exemplification, the row of well sections extending upwardly from the base is shown as curved in accordance with the supporting ring. In the ends 42 of the base, which preferably narrow V to rounded points 43, are provided openings 44 for receiving screws (not shown) or other suitable fastening elements whereby to secure the base firmly with the supporting ring structure 41.

In Fig. 3, we illustrate a slightly modified form of construction, in which a twenty-five cent well is indicated at 45, a five cent well at 46, a ten cent well at 47, and a penny well at 48. Various other modifications relative to the diameter and capacity of the wells, or to the order in which coins of different denominations are to be sustained upon the base, or to the number of coins to be ejected at one time, will readily suggest themselves and may be resorted to without altering the principle of the invention. The change-holding unit of our present invention can be very economically produced by the art of die-casting, the base, well sections and webs all being, by preference, integral structure.

lVhile we have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying our invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. We, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth but desire to avail ourselves of such variation and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. A coin-holding accessory for a vending or change-making machine having a shelf support, said accessory comprising a base plate adapted to be placed upon and secured to said support, a plurality of sect-ions upstanding from the base plate and joined thereto at their lower ends, said sections being arranged in complementary pairs for retaining columns of coins upon the base'plate, the members of each pair being spaced from each other to provide front and rear gaps and consisting of relativelythin bodies of arcuate transverse form between the gaps, and said members at the base plate and inthe front being cut away laterally in opposite directions to provide a common coin discharge opening in communication with the front gap and 'whichisin a plane adjoining the top surface of the base plate.

2. A coin-holding accessory for a vending or change-making machine having a shelf support, said accessory comprising a base plate adapted to be placed upon said support and holed for receiving means whereby to be secured to said support, a plurality of sections upstanding from the base plate and joined thereto at their lower ends, said sections being arranged in complementary pairs for retaining columns of coins between them upon the surface of the base plate and consisting of relatively thin bodies of arcuate transverse form, the bodies of each pair at the base plate being cut away laterally in opposite directions to provide a common coin discharge opening in a plane adjoining the top surface of the base plate, an extension to the base plate adjacent and in front of the openings of the bodies, the top surface of the extension for a distance being on a plane even with the surface of the base plate between the sections, and guide means on the extension forming individual coin paths leading from the openings.

3. A coin-holding accessory for a vending or change-making machine having a shelf support, said accessory comprising a base plate adapted to be placed upon and secured to said support, a pair of complementary sections upstanding from the base plate and joined thereto at their lower ends for retaining a column of coins between them upon the surface of the base plate, said sections consisting of relatively thin bodies of arcuate transverse form, said bodies at the base plate being cut away laterally in opposite directions to provide a common coin discharge opening in a plane adjoining the top surface of the base plate, and an extension to the base plate adjacent said opening, the top surface of the extension for a distance in front of the sections being on a plane even with the surface of the base plate between said sections. 7

4. A coin-holding accessory for a vending or change-making machine having a shelf support, said accessory comprising a base plate adapted to be plgced upon and secured to said support, a pair of complementary sections upstanding from the base plate and said bodies at the base plate being cut away laterally in opposite directions to provide a .125 joined thereto at their lower ends for retain- 

